Jaitley reckons Modi as 'best possible card' for 2014 LS elections

Panaji (Goa), June 9 (ANI): Leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Rajya Sabha, Arun Jaitley on Sunday said Narendra Modi is the "best possible card" for the party in the Lok Sabha elections 2014.

"It is not only an overwhelming consensus among the leaders but there is a near unanimous view among the cadres that you have to give a special responsibility to a person who is perceived as highly popular and inspirational leader as far as cadres are concerned," Jaitley said.

"A party has to play its best possible card in the elections and that is what the party president has done," he said reacting to Modi's appointment as Chairman of the BJP Campaign Committee for the Lok Sabha polls.

Asked whether there were no divisions in the party on the issue and whether Mr. Advani had suggested setting up of another Committee, Mr. Jaitley said "I am not aware of any such view (of Advani). The entire generation of leaders at present active in the party, not one of them has done a fraction of services that Advani had lent to the party."

He said Advani's views are always heard in rapt attention regardless of what he says by leaders of the party. "He has no such position as has been widely perceived by the media," Jaitley said.

Dismissing speculation that Advani had kept away from meeting because of his opposition to Modi, Jaitley said that the party veteran stayed away because he was not in the best of health in the last few days and the media should accept it graciously.

Asked whether Modi has been announced the Prime Ministerial candidate, he said that any further will be taken at the right time.

Jaitley also said it will be now a fight between Congress and BJP in which Congress is poorly placed and we now have also intensified the campaign against the Congress party.

Earlier today, Shiv Sena congratulated the newly elected Bharatiya Janata Party poll campaign chief Narendra Modi, but stated clearly that he is not NDA's campaign chief.

Shiv Sena party spokesperson Sanjay Raut said, "We welcome the decision of BJP. He is the BJP's campaign committee chief, not the NDA's. So no one should have problem."

BJP President Rajnath Singh earlier made the big announcement on Modi and during his address he said, "We have decided Narendra Modi as chairman of the central campaign committee. This is an unanimous decision. We have full confidence that BJP will come to power in 2014."

"The whole party has faith that he will lead us to victory", he added.

The announcement came at the end of a dramatic two-day conclave that saw strong resistance from party veteran L K Advani and some other senior leaders to the appointment of Narendra Modi and chairman of the campaign committee. (ANI)